The Cover Demanded I Read It!

 

Jack Higgins (real name Harry Patterson), the author of seemingly countless (and usually excellent) adventure novels, died recently. His 1975 WWII thriller The Eagle has Landed is one of my favorite novels ever and I plan to re-read it within the next few weeks. 

But I had found the above novel in a used book store a few weeks ago and bought it mostly because that cover is simply awesome. Seriously, how can any sane man look at THAT cover and not want to read the book?

 I didn't know it was a Higgins book. Prior to hitting it big with Eagle, he used a number of psuedonyms and I simply didn't know that James Graham was one of them.

That is is a Higgins book was pointed out to me by several members of the wonderful Men's Adventure Paperbacks of the 20th Century Facebook group (the best group ever). So when Higgins' death was announced soon after that, I decided to read The Wrath of God (1971) right away.

And, gee whiz, it is good. Three men with violent backgrounds are in Mexico in 1922 and are forced to team-up--given the job of finding and killing a bandit leader.

What makes this novel extraordinary isn't just the strong, action-packed plot, but also the unusual characters. The first-person narrator is Emmett Keogh, a former terrorist (or freedom-fighter, depending on your point-of-view) whose background included a stint at medical school before being drawn into the Irish War of Independence and the ensuing Irish Civil War. One of his partners in the "kill the bandit" mission is Oliver Van Horne, a would-be priest turned bank robber. Van Horne carries a Tommy gun around in a Gladstone bag and he knows how to use it effectively.

Both are bitter and cynical, but Higgins manages to give them unique and three-dimensional personalities that allow for gradual, believable character growth. Higgins works events into the story that SHOULD be contrived and corny, but instead are a natural part of the story's flow and the various character arcs. For instance, Keogh--the former medical student--must at one point deliver a baby and deal with a breach birth. Van Horne, whose role in the mission includes pretending to be the new priest sent to a poor village, finds himself drawn into that role in reality. In both these cases, the potentially contrived plot twists seem right and natural. Though the novel does still reflect a cynicism about some aspects of human nature, it is overall a redemption story done right, with characters and emotions we think of as real.  And it does this without losing track of how messy real life it--there is also no guarantee of a happy ending for anyone.

As far as plot and action is concerned, the story steadily builds tension, punctuated by truly exciting action set pieces. The end scene, in which Keogh and the bandit leader stalk each other through an abandoned village, is superb. When the violence erupts in The Wrath of God, you know it's going to be good.